Full spoilers follow for 2021 The suicide squad movie.
Peacemaker Season 2’s first new cast member has been announced – and the reveal could make the rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) even more difficult to follow.
On Instagram last Friday (May 10), DCU co-chief James Gunn confirmed that Frank Grillo, who readers may recognize from his small roles in two of Marvel’s three Chris Evans-starring roles Captain America films, has joined the Peacemaker form.
Grillo plays Rick Flag Sr, the father of The suicide squad‘s Rick Flag (played by Joel Kinnaman), in the live-action show’s second season. Grillo will also voice the character in the DCU’s upcoming R-rated animated series Creature commands, which is expected to release on Max (in the US) sometime in 2024 and officially launch DCU Chapter One. His appearance in PeacemakerThe second season of the film will therefore not be Grillo’s first appearance as a grizzled war veteran.
As Gunn hints, Flag Sr will search for Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith (played by John Cena) in the next installment of the hit series. Peacemaker murdered his son in cold blood – on Amanda Waller’s orders – in the third act of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film. Expect a vengeful Flag Sr to spend much of Season 2 hunting down his son’s killer.
It will be interesting to see if Flag Sr comes after Waller Making peacer season 2 too. Waller brought together the Creature Commandos – a super-powered Black Ops team – decades earlier under the leadership of Flag Sr, so Waller and Flag Sr have a history together. However, when Flag Sr learns that Waller is involved in his son’s death, the betrayal will further fuel his desire for revenge. Peacemaker season 2 or Waller’s own self-titled TV show.
Grillo’s upcoming appearance isn’t the only Peacemaker news to emerge recently. Per VarietyGunn will direct three of the eight episodes of Season 2, including the premiere. Previously, we only knew that Gunn had written the second season of one of the best Max shows, so this is the first clear confirmation we’ve received as to whether he will direct any of the entries.
Before he stirs PeacemakerHowever, in the follow-up season, Gunn will have to take on his directing duties Superman film, which could potentially wrap up filming in August ahead of its July 11, 2025 release date.
A messy situation
Grillo’s appearance as Flag Sr in a live-action DCU project shouldn’t be a total surprise. When he revealed the full DCU Chapter One lineup in January 2023, Gunn confirmed that fans would see some actors reprise their roles in animated and live-action productions in DC’s new film franchise.
However, Flag Sr’s appearance in Peacemaker presents a major problem for Gunn and his fellow DC Studios co-head Peter Safran. The pair have regularly emphasized that the DCU is a complete reboot of Warner Bros.’ messy DCEU. Discovery, but that effort is still hampered by the projects that straddle the line between the two.
You see, The suicide squad And Peacemaker season 1 was officially part of the DCEU. Now, Peacemaker season 2, which will pick up plot threads from that duo, is a narrative cog in the DCU machine – as it is Creature commandswhich will now also be connected thanks to the involvement of Flag Sr Peacemakerthe second season And the aforementioned DCEU pair.
It is no wonder that the public is stunned. Gunn and Safran may argue otherwise, but since plot points from DCEU projects impact DCU projects, there’s no clean break between them, nor a hard reset.
I’m confident that Gunn and Safran know what they’re doing, and I hope that things (from the universe’s narrative and cinematic perspective) will make more sense once we learn more about them. Creature commands And Peacemaker season 2.
For now, though, the lack of clarity means viewer confusion will continue to reign for a while. If you’re trying to relaunch a massive comic book franchise to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it’s not a good idea.